Even Perverts Deserve a Second Chance
by Megii of Mysteri OusStranger
Summary: On Hiatus-Yet another time travel fic... But this time with Jiraiya! Watch the Erosennin relive his genin days with all the knowledge of his older self! What will he do to try and change the future? What will stay the same? Eventual JirTsu
1. Chapter 1

Even Perverts Deserve a Second Chance

_Yet another time travel fic… but this time with Jiraiya! Watch the Ero-sennin relive his genin days with all the knowledge of his older self! What will he do to try and change the future? What will stay the same? Rating will __eventually go up. JirTsu_

**Chapter 1**

A tall, white haired man buried a hand in his hair as he took another heavy swig of sake. His tanned cheeks were flushed dark red, showing just how drunk he was, but despite how much alcohol he drank, he just couldn't seem to distract himself from the losses and pains of war.

The owner of the run down little bar walked up to him, taking away the empty sake bottle. "Okay, sir, I'm sorry, but I think you've had more than enough for one night."

"Bah." The Sannin grumbled. "I'm a big man, I can handle a lot more Sake than a shrimp like you ever could. Besides, maybe if I'm lucky, I'll die from alcohol poisoning or something. At least I'll get to see her again. Oi, another round!"

The bartender shook his head and left the white haired man to himself, having no intention of bringing another bottle of sake. The Sannin waited at the bar for nearly half an hour before tottering away, drunk off his ass. The gloomy, broken buildings of the once proud Konoha towered over him in the night, innumerable windows boarded up and the streets permanently stained with the blood of battles. The remains of the Hokage Mountain continued looking over the village, deep gouges carved out by multiple snake attacks.

He didn't seem to notice when it began to rain; fat, wet droplets plastering his wild mane of white to his head and back. Pink-tinted water splashed over his feet and shins as he trudged through various puddles, the rain washing away some of the blood from the cobblestones. He had no idea what he was doing or where he was going; in fact, his foggy mind was hardly thinking at all, but he eventually found himself at the familiar, smooth, blackness of the memorial stone, shivering and clutching his elbows.

He reached out to the stone, numb fingers tracing over the many familiar names. Some of them precious people he'd lost to the war with the Sound. All of them KIA, killed in action. But two names stood out the most

_Uzumaki Naruto_

And…

_Senju Tsunade_

His legs gave way and he fell to his knees, mud staining his shins. Thunder rolled overhead as he stared blankly at the writing, fingers tracing over the smooth lettering.

_Why? Why'd you have to die? The seat of Hokage really is cursed, just like you always believed, Tsunade-hime. I lost both of you. And I never even got to tell you that I…_

"Jiraiya-sama." A dull, cool voice came of from behind him. He didn't look up as the pale man walked beside him and set a bouquet of flowers by the stone, all of them various shades of pink.

"What are you doing here, Sai?" The white haired man mumbled.

The young man looked over at the Sannin. "You must really be drunk tonight, old man. I'm here all the time."

"Staring at your dead girlfriend's name. Kami, you're like Kakashi… get over it."

Sai narrowed his eyes. "Like you're one to talk. Sakura died nobly in battle. You're going to die from either old age or alcohol if you keep this up. I come here to respect my Cherry Blossom, not grieve like you do."

Jiraiya had nothing to say to that and simply let his hand fall to his side.

The twenty year-old looked back at the stone, his face softening. "Do you have any regrets, Jiraiya-sama?" He asked quietly.

He bit his lip. "I never told them I loved them. Neither of them. Tsunade never got to know that she was the woman I always dreamed of and Naruto never knew he was the grandson I never had."

"I wish Sakura and I could have had children."

Jiraiya coughed mildly, shivering in the cold. If Sai felt any concern, he didn't show it. The Sannin ran his hands through his pale locks, the sake catching up with him. "Y'know, I wonder what it'd be like if I, or we, or whoever could go back and change shit, ya know? Kick Oro-hebi-teme's ass and drag him back to Konoha before he could go all musical or take Naruto in while he was a squirt." He coughed again.

"You're losing it, old man."

"Yah, well we're all bound to someday, ain't we? We're fucking ninjas. We come and conquer or go and die. Just like everyone on this rock. Fucking rock. It's glaring at me. What's with those stupid red lines, huh?"

"That's your reflection."

"Oh…"

They didn't say anything after that. They simply stayed there side by side, wallowing in the memories of their lost ones. After several minutes, Sai departed, not willing to stay in the rain any longer than necessary. Jiraiya continued sitting there, staring at the stone. He finally managed to drag himself to his feet, stumbling dangerously. He slapped one hand against the stone for balance and sighed heavily, wincing when he realized his knee was scraped, bleeding lightly.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on top of Gamabunta's head, giggling drunkenly. "Hey! Hey, Gamabumba, I have… hic… a question for… hic, you."

The great toad sighed. "Drunk again, Jiraiya. How many times must we go through this?" Why did the man always have to end up summoning when he was drunk?

"I… I 'unno. Hey, hey, Gamabumba…"

"It's Gamabunta."

"Right, right, Gamabumba… listen, hey, listen, is there any way to go back in time 'cause I was… was… hic, was 'undrin' about some… hic, stuff."

The great toad's eyes widened and he looked up at Jiraiya in shock. "Time travel? That's...strictly forbidden, Jiraiya. In fact, I don't even remember mentioning it to you, even." He frowned suddenly. "Why?"

"Just thinking about stuff, like seeing Tsunade again or, hic, stopping Orochimaru from starting that village called, uh… what was it called?" He scratched his head. "Oh, oh yeah, Broadway. Yeah. Broadway, yeah."

Gamabunta failed to hold back a snicker. _Orochimaru… and Broadway…_ he snorted, smirking.

Jiraiya's giggling attitude faded. "We're not going to win this war." He said somberly. "We can't."

The great toad's moment of humor came to an abrupt halt and he looked up at the once perverted Sannin sadly.

Everything had gone completely downhill since Orochimaru took over Sasuke's body and the man had become nigh unstoppable. Anyone that could have stopped him was now dead due to the war and numerous conflicts with Akatsuki, and when Tsunade and Naruto were finally taken down by the organization's leader, Jiraiya lost the heart to even try anymore. He no longer even gave naked women a second glance and had taken to drowning his woes in Sake. The white haired man was no longer the boisterous, perverted, give-it-your-all-or-die-trying ninja Gamabunta once knew.

Konoha and much of the other shinobi nations were little more than ruins now. It was clear who was going to win the war and the odds weren't in Konoha's favor. And since Akatsuki failed to get Kyuubi from Naruto and all their plans for the Bijuu went down the drain, the organization more or less split apart to join one side or the other, now fighting for possession of the remaining Bijuu. Itachi and Kisame were the only ones to join Konoha, since Itachi wanted revenge of Orochimaru for stealing the Sharingan and Kisame since he was the remaining Uchiha's lover.

How that came to be was something the toad boss didn't, and preferred to never know. He looked up when Jiraiya sat down abruptly, his usual, grieving self coming back into focus. "I miss her," was all that he said.

The wheels began turning in Gamabunta's head. Jiraiya mentioned time travel… he bit down on his pipe. It was risky, and he'd no doubt get chewed out by the higher ups about it, maybe even by Kami himself, but… still.

He sighed.

Jiraiya made no protest when the great toad wound his tongue around the man's middle and brought the white haired Sannin to face him. Jiraiya's eyes were glazed and sad, full of grief and hazed with the intoxication of one who had drank far too many shots of liquor. It was the face of one who had given up completely.

Gamabunta sighed once more and gave a strange little half smile to the Sannin. "All right, Jiraiya. I'll take you back. Just… go back to being perverted… please."

There was a bright flash, Jiraiya passed out, and from then on, everything was a blur.

-

Jiraiya groaned and sat up, placing a hand to his forehead. "Ugh, aw man…what happened last night?" He slid off the bed, yawning and ruffling his hair. He opened his eyes and frowned. Why was his hair so short? Did he get it cut while he was wasted? His eyes widened further. This room… what the… where the hell was he? It looked just like… His eyes landed on a mirror. He gaped and ran up to the reflection. His face! What happened to his face! He looked twelve again! _What the hell happened?_

He promptly bit his thumb and preformed several hand seals, summoning Gamakichi in a puff of smoke.

"Yo."

"Gamakichi, what the hell happened to me!"

The toad winced. "Hey, hey, calm down, Ero-sennin! You don't remember? Man, you really must have been drunk."

The shrunken Sannin's eye twitched. "You think I haven't figured that out? Why the hell do I look twelve years old, Gamakichi?"

"Well, because you _are_ twelve."

The white haired boy stared in shock. "I'm… what?"

He jumped when there was a knock at the bedroom door. Gamkichi squeaked and leapt into hiding.

"Whoever it is, don't panic! Stay calm, okay?"

"W-what?"

The door opened with a creak. Jiraiya turned and his face paled, eyes growing wide. "O-otou-san…"

**End Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The waxen haired man leaned against the doorframe, the smell of sour alcohol and cigarette smoke wafting into the room. The lines on his cheeks, once bright red, were a dull burgundy. "Jiraiya, you're going to be late for the meeting with your team. Get your worthless ass moving. Why are you looking at me like that? You sick or something?"

The white haired boy swallowed tightly and shook his head. The older man grunted and walked away, slamming the white door shut behind him. It took several seconds for Jiraiya to pull out of his daze.

"_Gamakichi_!" He hissed. "_What the hell is going on_?!"

The orange toad crawled out from under the shrunken Sannin's bed. "Exactly what you convinced Pops to do. We went back in time to your gennin days."

The snowy haired boy gaped. Back in time? Was that even possible? "Huh? But… what… how…?"

"You might want to start talking in full sentences, Boss."

The Sannin placed a hand on his forehead and walked over to his olive green bed, sitting down heavily. He stared at the slate blue carpeted floor with a seemingly blank expression, fingers twirling in his awkwardly short hair. Back… in time? His genin days?

"Gamakichi, how is this possible?" He asked in a grave whisper.

The orange amphibian sighed. "If I knew the details, Boss, I'd tell you, but I'm just a tadpole compared to the older summons like Pops, so it's not my place to know yet. What I _do_ know is that it's something all major summons can do… given that they have the right connections with the higher-ups."

"Higher-ups?"

"The gods."

Jiraiya was nearly as pale as his hair for a split moment. He leaned back on his hands and gazed up at the ceiling. "Tch. Please tell me this is some sort of big, fucking joke or something. Genjutsu? Tsukiyomi? I am drunk? Kami… I'm a fifty-five year-old man stuck in… what? A twelve year-old body?" He groaned and flopped onto his back, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a deep frown.

Gamakichi jumped onto the olive colored comforter, looking down at the snowy haired boy with concern. "You okay?"

"No, I'm not." Jiraiya snapped, lowering his hand to glare at the toad. "I'm fifty-five years old, Gamakichi. Last night I was drinking my ass off in a run down bar in a half-destroyed Konoha, with little to nothing left to live for. Tsunade was dead, Naruto was dead, Orochimaru was taking over the damn world and now I wake up with a twelve year-old body, in the past, and _you expect me to just be okay with it?! Damn it, toad, you might as well have just put me back in the womb!"_

The amphibian winced at the volume and grimaced. "It's not _my_ fault, don't blame me! I wasn't the one who got summoned while you were in a drunken haze feeling sorry about yourself!"

Jiraiya sat up abruptly. "You're right. It's not your fault; it's your _father's_! And you know what else? I'm going to summon his grouchy ass right here and now, got that?"

Gamakichi's eyes widened in panic. "Y-you can't!"

The shrunken Sannin gritted his teeth. "And why is that?"

Gamakichi jumped up slightly, putting his webbed hands on Jiraiya's knee to push their faces closer together. Moist skin wrinkled in a scowl. "Two reasons, Jiraiya. One: You're not even supposed to be able to summon toads at all until you're fifteen, according to your clan's laws, which means that you have to keep me, Pops, and everyone else a secret! Second: Pops didn't ask for permission before initiating the time-travel. He's got his legs in the deep fryer by the higher-ups right now because he went out of his way to help _you_! He could have not given a shit and left you to rot in your misery, but he wanted you and everyone else, that's _including_ Tsunade and Naruto, to have a second chance to make things right! So you better be damn grateful, pervert, got that? Or next time I won't answer to your summon and you'll get my fat-cheeked, dimwitted brother from now on! _Do you understand me_?!"

There was a tense silence after Gamakichi's outburst and the two glared at one another fiercely for several moments. Jiraiya's obsidian eyes shimmered and he shoved the toad off him before burying his face into a pillow, shoulders shaking.

"Hey! What the… Jiraiya?" The orange toad's anger at being tossed aside evaporated as he gazed upon the once old man. "Jiraiya, you're not… are you crying?"

"No!" came the muffled answer. "I'm a grown man! A hardened shinobi! I don't cry!"

"Technically you're not even a teenager yet, much less a grown man." The toad pointed out. He dodged the pillow aimed at him.

"Shut up!"

He tilted his head at the human and hopped over onto the white haired boy's back, front legs holding onto the gray-clothed shoulder. "Boss?"

Jiraiya sighed noisily and lifted his head up, resting his chin on his folded arms; his eyes were barely beginning to turn pink around the edges. "How am I supposed to deal with this, Gamakichi? Half the people I know aren't alive yet, and the other half has been brought _back_ to life. Kami-sama…how-how am I even going to be able to face Tsunade even? At this age we practically hated each other, with me calling her a flat-chested bimbo all the time, and… Orochimaru… should I just kill him now? I mean… and, hell, there's sure to be a personality difference, too!" He sighed heavily, tilting his head so that his face was hidden and his forehead rested on his knuckles.

Gamakichi crawled off the human's shoulder and onto the sheets by the boy's hand. "Hey, Boss," Jiraiya looked over at him, "Maybe you should skip meeting with your team today. Give you a while to pick yourself up, you know? You could send a Kage Bushin instead."

Jiraiya frowned. "I doubt I have enough chakra for a Kage Bushin, and even if I did, it could be dispelled."

The toad took on a thoughtful look. "Well, you could just tell them that you're feeling sick. That should work, right? I mean, Sarutobi was… err, _is_… a pretty lenient guy when it comes to that sort of thing."

The Sannin narrowed his eyes. That's right, Sarutobi was alive again too…he sat up, ruffling his hair and nodded. "Okay."

Gamakichi grinned a toad's grin and began hopping around the room, collecting a number of things, which he shoved into a pack laying on the floor. Jiraiya was staring blankly at the floor while he twiddled with his hair. His father and whatever whore he had with him this time were the least of his problems right now. He looked up and around the room, taking in the sight of a childhood once long forgotten. His bedroom was probably the cleanest room in the whole house, mostly because his father rarely entered it. The walls were eggshell white, clashing against the dark oak bookcases and desk propped up against the wall. His western style bed was blanketed an olive green and crimson, the same colors he used to wear when he was older. A pair of sliding doors to the right of his bed led to a small deck outside and down to the clan training grounds, which was more than empty considering his father, his grandmother, and himself were the only remaining members.

His eyes narrowed. The Kaeru clan was said to have originated from Hidden Waterfall Village and fled to Konoha during the last Great Shinobi War. Clan techniques were few since most members tended to make up their own jutsu and many traditions were lost during the war. The summoning for toads was the only thing that was really passed down from generation to generation. However, due to an illness that was spread when Jiraiya was only four, nearly everyone was wiped out, leaving only a mute old woman, a brooding drunk, and Jiraiya himself. The illness had even caused his father to go sterile, so any chance of rebuilding the clan was up to Jiraiya. It was part of the reason he had been such a pervert when he was older.

He looked down when Gamakichi jumped back onto the bed, bringing the pack along with him. "Let's go."

Jiraiya nodded and swung the pack over his shoulder, standing. The toad jumped inside quickly before the flap shut in order to stay hidden. The snow haired boy took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm his nerves. "Well, here we go, I guess." Reaching out, he slid the door open and walked out of his room, heading toward the kitchen to get to the main exit/entrance.

It was strange seeing his old house again. The grayed plaster walks, the worn wooden floor… cigarette ashes and broken sake bottles everywhere along with a month's worth of his father's laundry…

_Now I remember why I never wanted to inherit this dump._ He thought bitterly.

He froze when he entered the kitchen, catching sight of his father sitting at the table throwing poker cards into a pile idly, another one of his whores hanging off his arm, running her hands over the man suggestively, waiting for another screw that Jiraiya knew would never come.

The woman was a lanky brunette with oversized breasts, which were the worst set of fake breasts Jiraiya had ever seen. A small, over-revealing red dress hung off her thin shoulders, revealing far too many wrinkles for a woman her age and badly applied spray-on tan. She took a long drag on a cigarette before leaning over to whisper something in his father's ear. Her glazed, brown eyes flickered over to Jiraiya and she smirked at him, winking flirtatiously while letting curls of smoke fall from her lips. Jiraiya suppressed the urge to throw up.

His father looked up and scowled at the sight of him. The snowy haired boy gravely took in his father flushed cheeks. It wasn't even seven in the morning and he was already drunk…

"What? You want something, boy?"

Jiraiya started slightly and looked away from his father and the whore. His lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes hard and glaring as he walked out of the house. He was careful to slam the door shut behind him loudly. Pale sunlight hit his face and he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He let his eyes scan over the clan grounds and village. Everything was… so much smaller. The mountain didn't even have the faces of the Hokage's carved on it yet.

The rough sound of footsteps on gravel reached him and he turned around. His eyes widened. "O-obaa-chan…"

The elderly mute walked up to him and smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair affectionately. Her loose, gray-green kimono hid her frail form. He gathered up the heart to smile back. The white haired woman held out a black box, the magenta lines that stretched from her eyes to her temples wrinkling further as she mouthed a word.

He blinked. "Oh, bento? T-thank you, obaa-chan." He said softly, taking the box from her. He looked down at the black object in his hands, eyes shimmering. Without warning, he lurched forward and threw his arms around the elderly woman, burying his face in her stomach. Her frame trembled with silent laughter and she hugged him back, patting his head.

Jiraiya held his grandmother tightly, the smell of pond water and candied spearmint overwhelming him. _I forgot how much I missed you…_ He thought to himself, fighting back the stinging in the back of his eyes.

"Ah, there you are, Sayuri!"

The two white haired Kaeru pulled apart, looking over to see a toad the size of a large dog lumbering toward them. Jiraiya swallowed thickly at the sight of that peach and blue colored skin.

"Gamaume…"

"Ohayo, Jiraiya-kun. How are you this morning?" The female toad asked, stopping beside the old woman.

"Fine." He squeaked, making a show of clearing his throat quickly afterward. "Just, uh, heading out to meet the team and all." He forced a smile, hoping that his grandmother's helper-toad didn't suspect anything.

His prayers were apparently unanswered as the toad raised a brow. "I _see_…" she tilted her head to look over at his backpack, causing him to sweat nervously. "Well, _Jiraiya-kun_, off you go then. Why don't you come over after training, eh? So we can catch up a bit?" It wasn't a request. Sayuri sent the toad a questioning glance.

He coughed idly. "Okay. I will. Uh… bye!" he zipped away quickly, leaving his grandmother to wave after him cheerily. The various trees lining the streets seemed to flash by him in a blur.

"She knows I'm here." came Gamakichi's muffled voice.

"I know." The shrunken Sannin muttered, thankful that the streets were practically empty in the morning. "Gamaume was always good at that sort of thing. How though? She didn't seem to remember anything about the future like you do."

The flap of the backpack tilted up slightly, allowing the orange toad to poke his nose out. "That's because she died before any of that. I've only heard stuff about her from other toads; that was the first time I've even seen her. Well, _heard_ her, rather."

Jiraiya glanced over his shoulder. "That's right. She and obaa-chan kicked the bucket when I was seventeen. Makes sense."

"What's your relationship with your grandmother, anyway? You two seem pretty close, but I don't think you've ever mentioned her before."

The snowy haired boy stopped, his hand gripping the straps of the backpack. His head lowered, covering his eyes in shadow. Gamakichi gave a small "urk" as the contents of the pack shifted along with him. Gathering his froggy wits, the amphibian poked his head out.

"Hey, what gives? You okay? Sorry if it's a tender subject, I'm just curi…"

"Obaa-chan is one of the few people I could… _can_ talk to at this age without risking being judged." Jiraiya interrupted solemnly. "My team's a lot like… Team Seven, and… to put it bluntly, I'm not the prodigy of the group. I… kind of have a 'loser' status right now, so I get a lot of crap. Plus… I know I'm always welcome to stay with her if things at home get… out of hand."

There was a short silence between them. "If it makes you feel any better, your pop is a jackass."

The Sannin snorted and began walking again. "Yeah, I already knew that. Thanks, though."

Gamakichi grinned and slipped back into hiding.

It was strange walking down the streets of old Konoha again, to say the least. Everything was so much smaller and less cramped. Most of the buildings were only one story high and various trees lined the cobblestone streets. The mountain overshadowing the village was bare and none of the buildings were boarded up or destroyed. It was almost like a whole other world compared to what the snowy haired boy was accustomed to seeing.

A tall man with dark magenta hair walked out of a greenhouse on Jiraiya's left, broom in hand. He smiled and waved upon seeing the boy. "Morning, Jiraiya-san! Off to meet your team?"

The shrunken Sannin stopped. "Haruno-san… good morning. How… are you?"

The man smiled further, his eyes squinting as he ruffled his hair. His two pale horns peeped out briefly from between the pink strands. "Well enough. Kimiko's due to have the baby in a month! We're very excited. Is your grandmother doing well?"

Jiraiya nodded stiffly. "Yeah, she's great." He backed away slowly, uncertainty filling his eyes. "Well, I'd better go. Don't want to keep the team waiting…"

The man's dreamy expression faded. "Ah, yes, of course! Sorry for keeping you! Have a nice day, Jiraiya-san!"

"I'll try." The snowy haired boy ran off quickly, forcing himself to steady his breathing. _Okay, just calm down. I'm Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, author of Icha Icha Paradise, and famed hermit of Mount Myouboku. Women swoon at my name and even crying babies stare in awe… who am I kidding? I can't do this! If I can't even keep a straight face around Sakura's great grandfather how the hell can I keep it up with everyone else?_ His body acted on instinct and he ran faster, automatically suppressing his chakra as he did so, a retreat tactic. _What will I do when I see Tsunade? I… I'm probably going to cry if I don't rip out Orochimaru's throat first. And Sarutobi-sensei… I-I can't do this!_

His feet carried him all the way to the memorial stone, which he stopped upon seeing. He stared in shock at the glassy-surfaced stone, his reflection staring up at him from the unblemished spaces.

"KIA," he whispered, his eyes automatically seeking out familiar names, only to find that they weren't there anymore, "Tsunade… Naruto… this… this really isn't a dream, is it?" He sighed heavily and plopped down into a sitting position, causing Gamakichi to squeak at the unexpected movement. "I need some sort of plan…"

He swung the pack off his shoulders and leaned it against the memorial stone. Gamakichi poked his head out. "Boss?"

Jiraiya had his eyes closed as he concentrated his chakra, forming a seal. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu." He muttered. A clone appeared in a puff of smoke and both human and toad quickly sweat-dropped. "Well… it won't be hard to convince them that I'm sick…"

"Gee, you think?" The orange toad said skeptically, causing Jiraiya to send him a glare.

Indeed, the clone was a pretty pathetic sight, as if Jiraiya himself hadn't slept in a fortnight. Its skin was at least two shades too pale and heavy rings laid under its eyes. It sniffled heavily; its shoulders slumped. Even the clothing looked overly wrinkled and faded. Still, at least it was _there_.

The real Jiraiya sighed, putting his hands over his face. "Well, at least I know I don't have the same amount of chakra I do as an adult." He ran his hand through his white locks and looked up at the clone. "You. Go to our team's meeting spot and tell them that I/you are sick today, so I/you won't be joining them for training. Don't freak out upon seeing Orochimaru or Tsunade or anything. Act like _nothing_ is wrong, got it?"

The clone gave a sickly thumb up. "Yes, sir. Uh, what illness should I tell them I have?"

The shrunken Sannin gave the copy an exasperated look. "I don't _know_. A cold, the flu, tell them you're tired from jacking off all night for all I care. Just do something, damn it!"

"… right." The clone said hesitantly before walking off.

The snow haired boy sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"Jacking _off_?"

He looked up at the orange toad and glared fiercely. Gamakichi darted out of sight quickly.

"Sorry! None of my business!"

Jiraiya ruffled his hair and sighed once more as he stood. "Come on, I know where we can go for today." He said, picking up the backpack and slinging it over his shoulder yet again.

**End Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tsunade scuffed the ground with her toe, scowling. "Ugh, where is that perverted egghead? He's late!"

A pale-faced boy rolled his eyes and leaned against a tree. "Sarutobi-sensei isn't going to be here for another twenty minutes, Tsunade. Jiraiya isn't late."

The blonde girl sighed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, but he's usually here by now."

Orochimaru allowed a small smirk to creep across his face. "Are you worried about that loser?"

"Of course not!" The girl retorted quickly. "I'd just rather have him here so I can beat the crap out of him while we wait. I'm _bored_!"

"Hn."

Hidden in the undergrowth nearby, a snowy-haired, sickly-looking shadow clone suppressed a groan as it dropped its forehead against the trunk of a tree. Of course, Tsuande hated Jiraiya at this age. It couldn't exactly walk up and say: "Hey, Tsunade-hime! You look beautiful today! Don't worry about being flat chested now, one day you'll have the biggest breasts in the village!" Not only would they suspect it of being an imposter, it was sure to get hit, which would dispel it.

Damn that Gamabunta.

The clone's obsidian-colored gaze traveled over to the other member of Team Thirteen. The clone's fingers clenched upon seeing the waxen-skinned youngster, pupils dilating as it swallowed through the knot in its throat.

Orochimaru leane lazily against the trunk of a young aspen, arms crossed and eyes half-shut with boredom. For a moment, the villain imprinted in the clone Jiraiya's mind vanished to be replaced with a painful stinging upon seeing Jiraiya's former (or was it soon to be, it wondered?) best friend. The doppeldanger stiffened when the serpent-boy's eyes snapped open and turned toward the bushes where it was hiding. Moving quickly so as to avoid suspicion, it stood up, coughing lightly and walked toward the other two.

"Hey guys," it rasped, walking rather slowly, "Mornin'."

Tsunade stopped her pacing, whipping around to face it with an angry expression, ready to scold it (more like beat the crap out of him, it thought), but stopped short upon seeing its face. "Wh-! Jiraiya! You look terrible!" She exclaimed.

The clone smiled at her weakly. "Yeah, uh, sorry guys, I'm not feeling too good today."

"Do you think?! Have you looked in a mirror? You look like you're gonna keel over dead any second!" The blonde girl told it, throwing her arms out in emphasis. Orochimaru's petite nose wrinkled in distaste as he eyed the clone like it was some kind of disgusting, disease-ridden vermin. The copy's eye twitched as it fought the urge to kill the serpent-boy where he stood.

Instead, the clone sniffled loudly, swiping at its nose. "Well, anyway, I don't think I'll be able to train today. I really feel like shit…" it ignored Tsuande's cry of "Don't swear!" swiping at its nose once more, "so if you'd tell Sarutobi-sensei that for me…"

"Tell me what? Sorry, Jiraiya, I missed that."

The snow haired clone froze stiff, head turning ever so slowly. _I… I forgot how he used to look when he was young…_ "Sensei…" it whispered. It coughed loudly several times and gathered what little dignity it had left, turning to face the physically older man. "Sarutobi-sensei, good morning. I… I…"

The brown-haired man placed his hands on his hips. "Are you all right, Jiraiya? You look ill."

The clone coughed again. "Ah, y-yes. I'm feeling really sick today, so I just wanted to let you guys know. Obaa-chan wants me to stay home so it doesn't get worse or anything." It mumbled, sniffing at the end of each sentence.

Sarutobi placed a hand on his chin, running his fingers through his goatee thoughtfully. "I have to say, I agree with her. You really look awful. It's too bad; I got us a really good mission today too. Ah well, we'll just have to do it some other time."

"Arigato, sensei." The clone said with relief. Behind it, it heard Tsunade cheer.

"All right! It's just the two of us all day, Orochimaru-kun! No stupid egghead!"

"Hn."

The clone felt like the world had just been pulled out from underneath it, its entire body freezing up. '_Orochimaru-kun… Orochimaru-kun… Orochimaru-kun….'_

Sarutobi blinked worriedly at the sudden, drastic change in the clone's demeanor. "Jiraiya? Are you okay?"

The clone swallowed, its tone just above a whisper. "Yeah. I've got to go. I think I'm gonna be sick." And with that it fled, running back in the direction of the village, leaving the other three to stare after it in slight confusion. It didn't stop running until it was a couple hundred yards away, collapsing to its knees with tears stinging its eyes. Teeth clenched, it thrust a fist into the ground, bruising its knuckles and therefore dispelling itself.

-

Jiraiya sat on the top of what would one day become the Hokage Mountain, his face buried in his hands. Gamakichi sat beside him, being quiet for once as the orange amphibian looked over the young, blossoming Konoha. He felt a slight movement in his chakra flow and the memories of the Kage Bushin flooded his mind. He could've sworn his heart stopped.

_Orochimaru-_kun? _Orochimaru-_KUN?! He felt tears begin to sting the back of his eyes and he sank further into himself. He forgot. How the hell could he have forgotten her kami-damned crush on the psycho?! He felt like bashing his head into the rock under his feet. Fuck, as if her simply being _alive_ wasn't distressing enough! Lifting his head, he cried out in anguish, startling the orange toad beside him. Teeth clenched, he forced his knuckles into the earth beneath him, splitting his knuckles open. He winced at the raw pain and clutched his hand to his chest.

"I hate this!" the snow haired boy exclaimed, glaring up at the heavens as he stood. "Kami damn it, Gamabunta! Why the hell did you have to do this to me?! How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?! You should have just left me to die, you stupid, bastard toad!" The burning tears that had been developing in the back of his eyes seeped forward, trailing over his red markings. His throat closed up tightly and legs gave out beneath him. He fell to his knees, sobbing softly, face buried in his awkwardly small, smooth hands. "I can't do this on my own, Sannin or no…"

Gamakichi eyes the shrunken sannin with a critical eye, an idea forming in his mind. "Um, you said you can talk to Sayuri about anything, right?"

-

A lithe, white haired woman looked up at the sound of someone knocking at her door. Sayuri's brows furrowed and she shared a glance with Gamauma. They weren't expecting any visitors and her son-in-law knew better than to come asking for sake money. She stood up from the pond-side, setting down her tea, and walked toward the front door. Gamauma stared at the handle, and Sayuri had a strong feeling that the great toad had a better idea of what was going on than she did.

The mute woman placed her hand on the door and slid it open, only to be tackled by a short, snowy haired boy. She stumbled slightly in shock, but quickly kneeled and wrapped her thin arms around her beloved grandson. Jiraiya held the woman tightly, his body shaking with suppressed sobs.

"Obaa-chan… I-I need to… I want to talk to you! I-I…"

She shushed him gently, running her fingers through his hair and running her hand along his spine.

"I-I can't do this by myself…" he whispered gravely, as if in pain, "I want… no, I _need_ to tell someone. I have to!"

She squeezed him tighter, patient as always. Whatever was bothering Jiraiya was nothing insignificant. It was rare for him to shed tears, much less for him to come to her in such a state. No matter how old he tried to act, he was still just a kid. She managed a small smile at the thought. No matter how old Jiraiya got, he'd always be her sweet, little grandson.

However, that train of thought was cut short when the flap of his backpack began moving. A small, orange head popped out; a _toad's_ head. Sayuri's silver eyes widened.

"Jeez, Jiraiya, suck it up. I mean, _man_!" It said.

Jiraiya suddenly went from distressed to infuriated. "_Gamakichi_!"

"I knew something was up with you this morning." Gamauma stated, getting out of the indoor pond. The smaller toad tensed and all three looked over at the giant, female toad. Gamauma flexed her peach-colored shoulders with an audible "pop!" as she waddled over to the trio. She fixed one great, golden eye on the two young tadpoles (Jiraiya and Gamakichi). "You had better be here to tell your poor grandmother and me what's going on, Jiraiya-kun." She said firmly.

Sayuri puffed out her cheeks, indignant at being called "poor."

Jiraiya pulled away from his grandmother with a deep sigh, running his hands over his face tiredly and wiping away warm tears in the process. "Yes. That's why I'm here."

"Well, you better got it together fast, Jiraiya-kun, because I can tell this is going to be one _hell_ of a story. You too, _Gamakichi_."

They both nodded stiffly.

Sayuri brushed a strand of snow-white hair out of her grandson's face. Whatever he had to say or explain would come in time. Gamauma may have been a very direct and demanding toad, but she was much more gentle and patient. Jiraiya looked over at her and she smiled, holding up her hands into a simple sign. He blinked a few times before nodding.

"Tea would be nice, Obaa-chan."

She smiled more widely and stood, ruffling his hair. She also reached out to pat the small, new toad on the head before walking into the kitchen. White Sakura tea sounded good for this sort of thing…

Gamauma watched her summoner walk away. "We're getting too old for this," she sighed, "Come along then, boys."

**End Chapter 3**


End file.
